NameCensus.

UK surname

Thirkill

Location surname referring to someone from Thirkill in Yorkshire, England.

In the 1881 census there were 128 people recorded with the Thirkill surname, ranking it #17,079 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 240, ranked #17,278, down from #17,079 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Highclere, Bradford and Huddersfield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford and York.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Thirkill is 261 in 2008. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 87.5%.

1881 census count

128

Ranked #17,079

Modern count

240

2016, ranked #17,278

Peak year

2008

261 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Thirkill had 128 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,079 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 240 in 2016, ranked #17,278.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 212 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Thirkill surname distribution map

The map shows where the Thirkill surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Thirkill surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Thirkill over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 102 #16,933
1861 historical 124 #17,797
1881 historical 128 #17,079
1891 historical 212 #14,318
1901 historical 179 #16,227
1911 historical 207 #14,635
1997 modern 217 #16,761
1998 modern 235 #16,358
1999 modern 234 #16,506
2000 modern 244 #16,004
2001 modern 233 #16,260
2002 modern 235 #16,495
2003 modern 246 #15,769
2004 modern 248 #15,779
2005 modern 257 #15,365
2006 modern 253 #15,602
2007 modern 252 #15,815
2008 modern 261 #15,597
2009 modern 255 #16,183
2010 modern 258 #16,432
2011 modern 246 #16,833
2012 modern 239 #17,027
2013 modern 248 #16,877
2014 modern 237 #17,528
2015 modern 242 #17,191
2016 modern 240 #17,278

Geography

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Where Thirkills are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Highclere, Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford and York. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Highclere Hampshire
2 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Huddersfield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Leeds Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 043 Bradford
2 Bradford 047 Bradford
3 Bradford 059 Bradford
4 York 006 York
5 Bradford 036 Bradford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Thirkill

These lists show first names that appear often with the Thirkill surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Thirkill

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Thirkill, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Thirkill surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Thirkill household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Thirkill is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Thirkill is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Thirkill falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Thirkill is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Thirkill, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Thirkill

The surname Thirkill has its origins in the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Northumberland. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "thyrel" meaning an opening or hole, and "kill" meaning a stream or small river. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream running through a narrow gap or opening.

The earliest known record of the name Thirkill dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Thyrelkill". This entry suggests the name was already established in northern England by the late 11th century. Over time, various spellings emerged, including Thirlkill, Thurkiln, and the modern Thirkill.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Thurkill, who was recorded as a landowner in Yorkshire in the 13th century. Another notable individual with this surname was Sir John Thirkill, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name Thirkill can be found in parish records from the village of Thirkill, located near the town of Penrith in Cumbria. This suggests a possible connection between the surname and this place name, though the exact relationship is unclear.

During the 17th century, several members of the Thirkill family were active in the English Civil War. William Thirkill (1620-1687) was a Royalist soldier who fought for King Charles I, while his brother Thomas Thirkill (1625-1698) supported the Parliamentarian cause.

Another noteworthy figure was Sir Henry Thirkill (1789-1857), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

Throughout its history, the surname Thirkill has remained relatively uncommon, perhaps due to its regional origins in northern England. However, it has endured as a distinct surname with a rich heritage rooted in the landscape and history of that region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Thirkill families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Thirkill surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 111 Thirkills recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.97x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 111 8.97x
Durham 6 1.62x
Kent 5 1.17x
Gloucestershire 3 1.23x
Derbyshire 2 1.02x
Lancashire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bowling in Yorkshire leads with 23 Thirkills recorded in 1881 and an index of 187.76x.

Place Total Index
Bowling 23 187.76x
Huddersfield 15 83.19x
Middlesbrough 8 49.66x
Parlington 8 8888.89x
Hetton Le Hole 6 127.39x
Huntington 6 2400.00x
Kirkby Malzeard 6 2222.22x
Bradford 5 16.69x
Cold Kirby 5 7142.86x
Horton In Bradford 5 25.88x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 4 94.56x
Lewisham 4 17.61x
Lockwood 4 89.89x
Cheltenham 3 15.88x
Goldsborough 3 3333.33x
Great Busby 3 7500.00x
Leeds 3 4.29x
Alfreton 2 33.67x
Easingwold 2 229.89x
Langthorpe 2 1333.33x
Pudsey 2 30.26x
Burnley 1 8.01x
Charlton 1 35.34x
Ecclesfield 1 11.03x
Idle 1 17.42x
Kirby Hill In Great 1 1428.57x
Laverton 1 769.23x
Manningham 1 6.56x
Sherburn 1 98.04x
Stokesley 1 129.87x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Thirkill surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 12
Alice 6
Annie 5
Elizabeth 4
Jane 4
Sarah 3
Ann 2
Eliza 2
Eve 2
Harriet 2
Isabella 2
Adela 1
Agnes 1
Anne 1
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Christiana 1
Eleanor 1
Eliz 1
Elizh. 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Emmeline 1
Eva 1
Frances 1
Lily 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Sophia 1
Susanah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Thirkill surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 13
George 8
William 6
Charles 5
Robert 3
Edward 2
Fred 2
Henry 2
Thomas 2
Aaron 1
Arthur 1
Christopher 1
Emily 1
Emmauel 1
Ephrim 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Howard 1
James 1
Joseph 1
Richard 1
Rowland 1
Sam 1
Sarah 1
Smith 1
Spencer 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Thirkill surname: questions and answers

How common was the Thirkill surname in 1881?

In 1881, 128 people were recorded with the Thirkill surname. That placed it at #17,079 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Thirkill surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 240 in 2016. That gives Thirkill a modern rank of #17,278.

What does the Thirkill surname mean?

Location surname referring to someone from Thirkill in Yorkshire, England.

What does the Thirkill map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Thirkill bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.